Shi No Hana 死の花
by garbageliteracy
Summary: Death is just hopping out of one car and getting into another. My name is Haruno Sakiko, and I shouldn't exist. Rock Lee/OC, AU, Self-Insert.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Shi No Hana 死の花

Summary: Death is just hopping out of one car and getting into another. My name is Haruno Sakiko, and I shouldn't exist. Rock Lee/OC, AU, Self-Insert.

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto, not me.

Chapter One

She knew she wasn't real.

At five years old, Haruno Sakiko was cold, sad, and bored of her entire existence. From the moment she was born, she knew she was an anomaly. A divine aberration of the highest sort. She had died. She wasn't sure how she knew that, or why she remembered, but she did. Sakiko remembered all too vividly the feeling of water invading her lungs. Drowning herself had been a _stupid_ way to go, obviously. She remembered the cold grip of Death himself pulling her up and out of her flesh. And _then_...she remembered slipping through the cracks.

Do you know what it feels like to have your spirit literally ripped out of your chest and pushed into the _wrong_ side of reality? Because she does.

Sakiko can't ever forget it. And that's why she'd been so quiet, and that's why she never cried when she was born, and that's why she obeyed her parents as blindly as she did. A serene and obedient child. She had to become strong. The world of ninja is a harsh one. She had to, if not for herself, than for her little sister. Sakura would eventually be placed on the same genin team as a Renegade Uchiha and Konoha's Jinchuriki.

The sibling in question blinked innocently up at her, stretching out like a kitten, having awakened from her afternoon nap. _Fucking adorable,_ Sakiko grunted, not wanting to look at her, abruptly leaving the room with quickly coming up with something better to do. Thinking about the future number of run ins Sakura would have with Orochimaru made her feel sick.

"Kaa-Chan?" She quietly called, walking down the hall that led into the kitchen.

Haruno Mebuki knew her daughter was different but she loved her with her whole being nonetheless. Sakiko was her first born and the minute she so slowly opened those beautiful mint green eyes without making so much as a peep, her and Kizashi were lost to any judgement they may have had. If they saw anyone else give birth to a completely silent baby, they would have found it _odd._ The nurses sure did.

"Mm, my girl, Kiko" Mebuki smiled fondly, her eyes turning up "what can I do for you?"

 _Nothing, she knew_.

By the time Sakiko reached age four, it seemed her daughter had the whole world figured out. Sometimes Sakiko got out of bed and climbed on top of the counter to make herself and Kizashi coffee before they woke up in the morning. She also noticed her toddler had made an effort to ask 'how was your day?' _every_ day from the moment she figured out how to form sentences. It was just strange little things like that but it made all the difference between her daughter and most girls her own age.

The pink haired genius herself blinked a couple times under speculation, before shrugging a little, and returning the smile bashfully. Sakiko tucked some of her cotton candy curls behind her ear, biting her lip, and rocking back and forth on her heels.

"I knoooow you said I need to cut back but…" cue the puppy dog eyes "can I pretty please with sugar on top get ramen?"

Ichiraku's was only a couple of houses down from where the Haruno household resided, and so it was one of the few places she was allowed to visit on her own. However if her parents had any sense to check on her, they would discover that she was not in fact chowing down on ramen, and instead paying weekly visits to Konoha's many training grounds. Afterwards Sakiko did stop by and treat herself to a couple bowls usually. As long as Naruto wasn't there.

Mebuki didn't falter, reaching into her purse for money to give her sweet daughter.

The blonde whirlwind of trouble just wasn't worth it. Sure her heart really felt for him, it did. Naruto was an orphan with a demon sealed inside of him, and no idea what it was that repulsed everyone into fleeing from him. The kid was as sad as sad got. However, Sakiko had her own problems. She promptly opted to worry about herself, Sakura, her parents, and maybe her genin team.

She knew her previous self would disapprove, but this new version just couldn't be bothered to go out of her way to spend time with someone as _LOUD_ , childish, and simple minded as Naruto. Sure, they could be friends when he got older and educated himself, but...considering the last time Sakiko saw him, that wouldn't be for some while. He'd been screaming about becoming Hokage for literally an entire **hour** , running up a ginormous bill that he flat out didn't have the money for the entire time.

Main character or not, his insolence kept her a good twenty feet away at all times. It just wasn't cute when it was happening in real life, and Sakiko could see the weight of debt so obviously resting on the owner's shoulders.

What was he going to do? Tell an orphan with no friends, family, or other resources for food, no? Naruto should've been more frugal with his meals. Ten bowls was unforgivable.

She settled for no longer thinking of such trivial things, closing her eyes and gathering her insane mass of hair. Sakiko's pink locks were cherished by her mother _and_ herself. She'd grown it out to her butt in a way she never could have in her previous life, and here she had massive curls, like, _anime_ worthy. Her usual sturdy hair tie, which she was pretty sure had ninja wire in it, did the job well, a training-worthy ponytail keeping the baby hairs from her face, and the curls safely up.

"Thank you, Kaa-Chan. Be back soon" She spoke so softly, the opposite of her hard insides. Sakiko leaned forward, pushing on her tippy-toes, and gently pressing a kiss to Mebuki's temple.

 _Today's the day I conquer my Senbon problem._

* * *

Sakiko would not be conquering anything, it seemed.

She sighed, her lips pulling into a grimace, when she arrived to find her usual training grounds were already in use. That almost never happened. Most people preferred the less battle-worn fields that Konoha held. The one by Sakiko's house had craters and scorch marks and broken tree's. It was probably the least aesthetically pleasing of them all. That was one of the reason's she'd liked it so much… _shoot._

Still the turn of events was rather interesting.

One Rock Lee happened to be beating the holy-hell out of Fred (her usual training dummy) using impressive force for his age. He didn't rock the green jumpsuit Sakiko knew he'd eventually inherit from his future sensei, instead wearing an orange scarf, and a tattered and dirty white shirt tucked into a pair of ninja leggings that seemed to be one size too big.

He looked like Naruto. He looked like an orphan.

 _Huh, would explain why his parents never made an appearance..._ Unless they had and she'd missed it. There was _always_ a chance she was wrong about canon, and it was one of the reasons Sakiko usually just blindly followed her gut. It had yet to steer her wrong. The pink haired wannabe-kunoichi watched from the shadows for a good thirty minutes.

Eventually, feeling a little too much like a certain white-haired Jounin (coughkakashicough,) and realizing that Lee wasn't going to be finished any time soon, Sakiko revealed herself, walking into the sunlight. Her thick ponytail bounced with her steps as she strolled up to Lee.

His taijutsu was lackluster. But for kids their age, clanless kids, the fact that he was hitting the training grounds at all said something. Sakiko had yet to meet someone her own age interested in that kind of thing. She didn't notice it, but a little glimmer appeared behind her pretty green eyes at the aspect of someone being _like_ her _._

Sakiko hadn't meant to sneak up on him, but as soon as she so gently tapped his shoulder, he whirled around way too fast. He'd raised his fists as if going to punch an enemy, only to realize it was a girl his own age, and threw his body back in shock. His head hit Fred the Training Dumby's wooden chest with a hard _thunk._

She blinked, staring down at him with her head cocked and eyes wide.

For her, Sakiko was staring down at a scrawny kid with a bowl-cut and big dreams sprawled in the grass, a massive bleeding bump protruding from the top of his shiny head. While she busied herself wondering if she should reveal some of her own skills for the better of others, Rock Lee was busy falling in love.

The girl leaning over him smelled like peaches and honey, a strange but enticing combination that made his nostrils flare. Her hair was like beautiful coral ribbons splaying out around her shoulders, the shadow of the sunset giving her an ethereal glow. Ninja wire held it up in an amazingly high and long ponytail, showing just how lengthy her curls really were.

Her knuckles were bruised and her eyes were like emeralds.

"You are an Angel!" He barely realized he said it out loud.

Sakiko's entire face filled with red the color of Kurama she was so embarrassed and shocked by the compliment. It only took her a minute to dismiss it, bending down and getting on her knees to inspect the wound.

"Wow, you must have hit your head a lot harder than I thought if you think I'm an angel" she snorted, wishing she could joke out loud about how she'd somehow cheated Death and may as well have been a literal hellspawn. "I'm not from a clan and I'm self taught" Sakiko began "I also don't aspire to be of a medic, however...I did read about a few healing tricks."

Technically, she never actually tried any, but the eldest Haruno sister was quite good at translating book work to reality.

"I haven't actually given it a whirl in person but…." Sakiko dragged out the end of the sentence, biting her lip and beginning to focus on pushing the flow of her chakra to her hand. It took two hard minutes ( not that Rock Lee minded the extra time staring at the beauty with his head in her lap) but eventually, her palms began to feel _warmer_ than normal. _That_ was chakra. Using it gave her an adrenaline rush like no other. After she first made a leaf stick to her forehead about a month before her fourth birthday, she'd been addicted to working on her control, spending hours meditating.

Now she had to separate the physical chakra, from the spiritual chakra. But how did one do that? Her brow furrowed and for a second she was glad that she wasn't going to become a medic in the future. Still, it was important to be able to heal. Her future teammates would appreciate the basic support, she was sure of it.

"I am Rock Lee, it is so nice to meet you, stranger-san!" he said cheerily, ignoring the way his eyes watered from the pain radiating in his head. Introductions were important, especially since such a young blossoming flower was attempting to heal his injury. That was more than he could say for Gaku, the head of the orphanage, and his current guardian. He only cared if one of the kids was missing a limb or dead. Anything short of that and you may as well have broken a nail.

Sakiko snorted. Everyone was so formal in Naruto. Honorifics were annoying to her and she could never be bothered with them. The young, Death-defying, anime fan didn't give a single shit most of the time. The only people she used those for were her parents and they deserved them for feeding, clothing, _and_ loving her.

"Sorry I made you hit your head, Lee" A single drop of sweat formed on her brow, despite her casual tone, as she began to feel the strange swirling cold separation beginning to form in her waves of energy that meant she was doing something right "Haruno Sakiko at your service. But you can just call me Kiko, everyone does."

FInally, as soon as she finished talking, like a light switch flipping, her calloused little hands began to glow that pretty green color she'd been going for.

Rock Lee made a small squeak, seeing chakra for the first time **ever** , eyes wide with awe. _Beautiful, smart, strong._ His heart began beating faster as she so gently massaged that pain on the top of his head away. _Thump, thump, th-thump._ He wished she'd done it for longer, it was nice to experience physical affection like that, but after what felt like only a minute, his head was free of her warmth and touch. On the bright side, the pain was entirely gone.

Sakiko beamed brighter than the rays cascading down her back.

"Oh, I did a _good_ job!" she applauded herself out loud at the sight of the now soothed skin, grabbing Rock Lee's wrists, unaware of all personal boundaries she probably should have had, and helping him to sit up. "The bump is entirely gone, Lee" Sakiko declared, genuinely happy.

Technically, other than the leaf exercise she tried that once, all she had been working on was building up her reserves for when she joined the Academy. So this was her first _real_ success.

"How fondly you refer to me!" Lee stood up, mistaking her lack of honorifics for endearment, quick on his feet. He unknowingly somewhat impressed her with his reflexes as she was tugged upward along with him. "Thank you, Haruno Sakiko! Your beauty alone has healed me of all ailments. I want to forever cherish your company and bask in your glow!"

 _Blink, blink, blink._

Huh? _I got a glow?_ Questionable...

"Um...right.." Sakiko trailed off with a bashful smile "I'm really not all that great." She could remember plenty of things she'd done one time or another that very much defined her as an all around terrible person. Things done on whims for no reason with nothing but chaos and consequences to amuse her. _Farthest thing from an angel you could find._

"You have impressed me with your caring charm and obvious talent with Chakra" Lee declared, looking her into her eyes as if he didn't care what was behind that old soul, if only he knew... such a sweet kid. Finally, an interaction with someone that wasn't forced and she didn't actually hate. Who would have thought Rock Lee would be her first friend in the Naruto world? She'd have thought Kiba more likely or maybe even the peaceful yet hilarious Shino.

She returned his intensity with an equally as energetic smile she didn't now she had in her, dedicated to making a real friend. A once-a-year kind of _genuine_ smile that had only ever made appearances around her father or mother. Rock Lee's mouth fell open into a little 'o,' his eyes glazing over, his own cheeks reddening and a foreign feeling fluttering around his stomach

"Let's be friends, okay, Lee?" Sakiko innocently offered, taking his hands in hers, unsuspectingly changing the world around her for the first time.

* * *

 **Omake**

 _Somewhere in Hell_

Death is a sixteen year old ginger with freckles who inherited the job out of coincidence. He sits in his castle of bones and fire beneath the ground, watching Sakiko in amusement, his own laughter echoing down empty halls. _Pop, pop, pop._ He swallowed down the poprocks he'd taken off her previous dead body. Such a good steal, honestly. The modern snack didn't exist in any other timeline and Death enjoyed it immensely.

Before him, an unearthly plasma television set he had stolen from Elizabeth The Third played a 24 hour feed of the soul he'd plopped into that one Anime world.

He was sure if God knew he'd been borrowing her toy's for his own amusement and throwing them into blackhole's leading to alternate universes, he'd be canned. Death could only _hope_ he would be caught. Maa, such a shitty job he had been stuck with. There was no retirement for the damn Grim Reaper.

"Yep, no regrets" Death popped open a fizzy can of orange soda enjoying watching the two interact "I totally ship her with Lee."

Maybe if he convinced Fate to come by and give it a watch with him one of these nights, she'd agree to sway the relationship into existence. _Pfft, no way_. That chick was too stuffy, she never left her palace in the stars.

"Let's be friends, okay, Lee?"

Damn it was if she'd heard his thoughts and summoned it into being. Death just nodded his head appreciatively and slurped his soda loudly. He may have to spend an eternity alone in a castle of corpses ushering spirits into the pits of tartarus, but at least he'd managed to save one terrible person and amuse himself in one false swipe. Hmm...maybe if God found out and asked, he'd play it off like this Sakiko chick was his next successor. She'd seemed pretty well adjusted for a suicide victim in the wrong universe.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Shi No Hana 死の花

Summary: Death is just getting out of one car and getting into another. My name is Haruno Sakiko, and I shouldn't exist. Rock Lee/OC, AU, Self-Insert.

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto, not me.

Chapter Two

The idea of someone causing pain to Sakura made her feel violent.

It made her jaw clench and her nostrils flare. It made her stomach tighten and her brow furrow. At eight years old, just about to enter the academy, Sakiko was wrapped around her little sisters finger. She was two years younger than her, and at six, Sakura had developed much more of personality than canon ever revealed.

Now that Sakiko was her big sister, she knew really little things about Sakura. Like how she walked a certain way when she was upset, or that even at five years old, she would go to great lengths to surpass expectations. Sometimes she forced herself up as early as 3AM these days, to beat Sakiko at making coffee for everyone. Despite the fact that her older sister was quiet and a little mean spirited, Sakura still emulated her to the best of her ability. She'd tried growing out her much shorter and thinner locks, buying darker clothes, and pretending to read Sakiko's medical books.

 _That's_ why Sakiko needed to be strong. For Sakura. She reminded herself as she aimlessly dodged Lee's powerful strikes. Left leg, right arm, left leg, headbutt. The kid was a machine. She had him mercilessly pounding her down from sun up to sun-down with his taijutsu. At the beginning she would come home with crazy bruises, but now she was spot free. Thankfully, Sakiko no longer had to hide her training from her mother. She was _positive_ Mebuki had no clue the true extent of how _hard_ the kids went.

About a year after that fateful day on the training grounds where she made her first friend, Sakiko and Lee made a deal to meet up every other day and train together, they would even eat together at Ichiraku's after practice. Which was saying something since she despised most people her own age.

Her and Lee had a sort of kinship that she really couldn't explain. They fit like puzzles into each others lives. He had needed someone to care about, someone to be there for him. And he helped her breathe. Childhood was fleeting and often times Sakiko forgot to stop and look around. Lee made sure she didn't miss anything. Plus...he made her smile.

Besides, her mother _adored_ him so much it was nearly sickening.

"Your reflexes improve every time I see you, Kiko-Chan!" Lee cheered as her pink curls flew up in the air and her head ducked in a very matrix-esque bend to avoid his swinging punch.

The Haruno grinned like a cheshire cat, holding up a thumb, her eyes looking especially dazzling in the morning light.

"Only 'cuz you're such a good sensei, Lee!"

Nearby, unbeknownst to the two, an onlooker's eyes glistened with manly tears. Maito Gai had been going for his morning training, running around the Village's walls five hundred times, when he'd come across the youthful children training. They looked a little young, but old enough for the academy, and he wondered if they'd been enrolled yet. If not, they would be soon.

Thirty minutes had passed and Gai noted that while it appeared more like the pink haired girl known as 'Kiko' was the driving force that pushed Lee to do his best, it _actually_ was the other way around. From what he'd seen, she was a fast learner with a pair of _quick_ feet, but she seemed to grow bored fast. She needed someone who could keep up with her. Gai could tell. He'd often been recognized for his observational skills when it came the youth of Konoha's relationships.

If you looked closely, you could see the glint of his colgate-worthy teeth in the shrubbery.

A little startled and in the zone when Sakiko noticed, she furrowed her brow, and dropped to her knees, mud splattering the front of her shirt and her chin. Just barely avoiding a bone-breaking punch to the nose, and now at the height where she could reach what she needed, Sakiko snatched one of the kunai she had gifted Lee with, and threw it with precision towards the sparkle.

Senbon may have been a bust, but she was surprisingly adept with all other projectiles.

A very surprised, very green, Jounin with familiar shiny hair burst out with a cat-like yowl. He hadn't expected to a genin to notice him! Such potential! Gai shushined out of the air to stand before the sweating children, his interest piqued.

"Such a vigorous training session you two are having! I cry many manly tears in awe of the drive and ambition you possess! Truly, you two may become some of Konoha's greatest ninja with devotion like this!"

 _Loud. Loud. Loud._ Fuck that nonsense. Sakiko's nose shriveled up as the man who towered over her hollered. She was still on her knees in the mud next to Lee, but she was glad to be so far from the Green Beast's mouth. Her friend didn't seem unnerved in the slightest. In fact, a creepy glint appeared in Lee's eyes that she had only ever witnessed in the anime.

"Oh, Kami" The pink haired girl sighed, perturbed, grabbing a hold of Lee's wrist and pulling all of her weight up like a monkey bar. He didn't even look at her, his smile just growing as he continued to stare at the new arrival, having grown used to Sakiko's behavior over the years.

 _So adorable,_ Gai swallowed the glorious scream of adoration in his throat at the sight that displayed just how close the two were. Somewhere in Hell, Death cackled, _yes...climb aboard the glorious ship of Lotus-Blossom_ (as he'd dubbed it.)

"You really believe we can become great ninja, Stranger-San?" Lee's eyes turned inhumanely into heart shapes, another anime-thing Sakiko had yet to grow used to. She'd seen her own orbs do that in the reflection of a portrait last Christmas when her mother purchased her academy clothes and had been shook since.

"As surely as your Koibito's hair is pink, got it!?"

Frozen in her tracks, halfway up the length of Lee's admittedly tall back, having been on her way to perch upon his shoulders as she so often did, Sakiko fell slack at the comment, dropping to the floor in shock. She sputtered, the mud spreading to her hair. _Serves me right for trying to use my dumb water-chakra._ It had been a taijutsu only spar but he got a good hit on her throat that hurt so bad, she'd been bitter and gone a little overboard. Lee took it in stride but now her appearances were suffering. Karma and all that, Sakiko's thoughts turned to a hiss of annoyance.

 _Koibito meant sweetheart_. People around Konoha used it as a Japanese substitute for _**girlfriend**_ , she knew that from her mother's gossipy tea meetings with Nara Kasa, a distant cousin of Shikaku who lived nearby the Haruno's. Strange adult ninja slang.

Gai thought she and Lee were dating!? THEY WERE ONLY EIGHT! Her face lost all color, a spirit appearing above her head.

"I enjoy your company immensely though I have only known you a short time, my name is Rock Lee!" Even worse, the boy in question didn't so much as FLINCH at the term. _The betrayal! The shock! He didn't correct him!_ He was like a brother to her, _they were not...not Koibito's!_ Right?

A sound like air escaping a balloon leaked out of Sakiko's limp form.

* * *

Sure enough, a week after that encounter, when they met up to walk to the academy together for their first day of classes, Lee was waiting for her in his very own jumpsuit. The Green Beast JR Kishimoto created had come to fruition. Sakiko had kind of been hoping her own moody predisposition to all things ugly and loud would have rubbed off on him enough at least to save his fashion sense.

 _Apparently not_ she grimaced, resisting the urge to shoot her mother a horrified glance.

Her own outfit was a kimono for a little girl more like Sakura's age that fit her like a shirt. It was yellow and pink, and a tad more childish than she'd have wanted, but her ninja pants were all business, tied around her ankles with bandages. She even had wonder-woman esque gold plates protecting her shins, forearms, and throat. Someday soon, she'd have her own hitai-ate to replace the sash tied around her waist, keeping her Kimono from blowing open.

Sakiko would look strange beside the green, bowl cut, orphan...not that she gave a shit. Lee was one of her precious people. So she set aside her shallow comments, and greeted him with her usual sweet smile.

 _Do not melt. It is just Kiko-Chan. Yes, she is cute, and her kimono brings out her complexion, and her hair is long and soft, and yes, her painted pink toenails peeking out of her ninja sandals are adorable, is that the breeze carrying her scent over? Peaches and honey..just like the day we met…._ Lee lost his train of thought thinking about how lovely she looked.

Once he regained awareness, Sakiko's mother had gone, and the girl in question was looking at him expectantly, sucking on a lollipop that he hadn't noticed her pull out. His stomach growled low as they began their walk to the academy. The orphanage didn't feed him even though he was sure they were expected to, so he and a few other orphans were forced to beg and seal, but as soon as he graduated and became a genin, he would receive his very own apartment, and an allowance! Then he could have her over and cook for Sakiko, and never get hungry, or be bullied ever again! Perfection was on the horizon. Still….that did nothing to fill his belly at that moment.

Lee frowned, refusing to voice his hunger, and glad she couldn't hear his stomach.

However as if reading his mind alone, she reached into her Kimono and pulled out a wrapped bento with a pink ribbon around it resembling her hair. _Lee_ with smiley faces and stars were written out in ink on top of it, as if to say "do not eat this family, it's for someone else important."

Lee sobbed while he cherished it, chewing slowly slowly, and showering his best friend in compliments and praises between bites. He truly appreciated her. When he thought of growing up never having run into his strange companion, it made his chest tighten, and that happy feeling in his stomach turn to dread. Love wasn't an emotion most kids under Gaku's care experienced at the orphanage. Naruto and Tenten certainly didn't know what it was.

Sakiko just smiled at him and climbed upon his shoulders, enjoying the fact she almost never had to walk anywhere.

"Your additional weight during our journey resting upon my shoulders brings me closer and closer to my dreams every day, Kiko-Chan" Lee shouted, pleased that his shoulder muscles had grown stronger from when they'd first met. She wished he hadn't picked up being loud like Gai, though.

Still, she just patted him on the head and took his enthusiasm in stride. That kind of energy and cheerfulness would fill the void in her chest when it undoubtedly grew with the death and carnage that awaited them. It was slowly rubbing off on her even, and Sakiko knew she was going to have to be the one to make him smile soon. Considering where they were headed and the clothes he was wearing...

The academy children would be ruthless when met with the oddity that was her best friend, she _knew_. However, Sakiko would be there, to pick Lee up, dust off his shoulders (so she can sit on them,) and remind him that he would become a great ninja. Even if she agreed that his jump suit made him look like a human leek.

"I thought I was your dream" Sakiko teased, turning her gaze to the clouds with thoughts of what was to come, swirling the lollipop in her mouth.

* * *

 **A/N** :

They're so friggin' cute and she's just like completely dismissing it 'cuz they're eight.' Ooh girl, just you wait until you're on a genin team with him and he still loves you! And then you're chunin and he _still_ loves you! Lee and her are SWEETHEARTS. This was more of a filler chapter just so that next chapter I can introduce her (and Lee) to Neji, plus I have some Gai/Sakiko bonding coming up. Also her and Neji are going to be bromies, and boy is Lee gonna be jealous.

Lemme know what you guys think! I'll try to update every day if I can.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Shi No Hana 死の花

Summary: Death is just getting out of one car and getting into another. My name is Haruno Sakiko, and I shouldn't exist. Rock Lee/OC, AU, Self-Insert.

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto, not me.

Chapter Three

"Today, so that you each get to know each other, we are going to be doing a worksheet!"

Hyuuga Neji rolled his eyes blatantly in front of his new teacher. Mizuki was his name and though he boasted physical strength, his own demon-shuriken rested behind his desk, large, sharp, and shiny, as if he was overcompensating. It had only taken one second of observation to decide that a few strong punches and basic taijutsu would be enough to throw off the Academy instructor. How sad.

All the kids, and they were _kids,_ in the class began chattering with excitement and glee as Mizuki walked the aisles of the class, passing out papers. Neji had been anxious to begin more training, since he was only usually allowed a set amount as a member of the Branch family, and here they were doing _surveys_.

He sighed deeply.

"I would rather gouge my own eyes out with kunai than get to know people" a velvet-like, scathing, whisper drifted through the air.

Neji had surveyed everyone in the classroom, and none of them proved to be anything more than hindrances to his education. However, two seats down from him, sat a pink haired girl. She looked like your average kunoichi in training, stupid, girly, unfocused. Her hair was extravagantly long, wrapped in ninja wire, the fuchsia curls hitting the butt of her chair.

He'd grown out his hair as a sign of power, that he was strong enough to battle without care of it being yanked or pulled. Because he was that good. Neji didn't know if this girl was stupid, or equally as advanced. Curiosity began to spark in the back of his thoughts.

He found her clothing to be atrocious. Her shirt was a bright yellow and pink kimono that would be spotted in the field from miles away. The rest of her attire seemed somewhat serious though, bandages tying down loose flowing fabric, a few weapons strapped here or there. At least she _seemed_ to be trying. She was the only girl in the class carrying a kunai, after all.

"You do not wish to have fun with our classmates, Kiko-Chan?"

The male seated beside her, leaning inches from her face, was a joke. Neji had to stifle his own laughter as the sight of his shining bowl-cut and neon green jumpsuit. _Kami._ How had he been seated next to such characters? Of all people….he got a little girl and a civilian orphan.

Neji watched the aforementioned 'Kiko-Chan' for her reaction to his question. How she responded would reveal her true character, he'd decided.

Her face slipped into a blank mask much like his own, her eyes scanning the room as his had earlier, they settled on a few specific builds, before resting on himself. Neji froze, caught in his own observations. He'd sat under the furious gaze of Hyuuga Hiashi, clan-head, Byakugan activated and all, and yet there was something in the forest green her orbs hid that startled him.

She stared at him like she knew everything there was to know about him, before she outright yawned, and turned back to her friend. Neji backed up an inch to avoid being gently slapped by her peach smelling curls.

"Lee, you are clearly the only other person in this room worthy of my attention."

A vicious, childish, fury bubbled in his chest and his fists clenched, his cheeks burning red, and his eyes darting away from the dumb _girl_ and to Mizuki who handed him four papers. One for himself, two for _them,_ and one for the no-name civvie at the end.

When Neji turned like stone, handing the extra sheets to the infuriating girl, her fingers grazed his own, an oblivious look on her face that only made his chakra swirl and hiss, aching to be released in the form of an anger-fueled jutsu. It was almost as if she was just toying with him. As if she knew what buttons to push _exactly_.

But that was impossible. They'd been in the room for five minutes and she'd barely looked at him the one time. Her...judgement of him had been genuine? Swallowing his frustration at being not only underestimated but blatantly dismissed, Neji steeled himself, his lilac gaze turning to the questionnaire handed out.

 _Don't fucking laugh. Don't fucking laugh._

Sakiko smirked, hiding her features with her hair, and repurposing her focus on the test before her. She couldn't help it. He was just so easy to screw with. Fate had placed her in the seat beside the young Hyuuga, it was just too tempting. She knew for a fact that an arrogant girl such as herself would drive him up the walls. Especially since he came from a prominent clan and she did _not._ Being a Haruno was just barely a step up from being a civilian, and that was only because Mebuki and Kizashi had earned their own name in Konoha back in the day.

Not that he knew anything about her. Not like she knew _everything_ about him.

Anyway back to the assignment. In her previous life, she recalled, schoolwork was simple. Sakiko hadn't been a genius by any means, but she'd definitely been up there. Her problem had been not having any friends. Peering at her blushing green companion, that wouldn't be a problem this time around. So with a small smile, she pulled one of the many _sharpened_ pencils from her kimono, and began to fill out the paper.

 _Name, age, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses…_

It was generally a character-chalk up of all her basic data that she was sure to be copied for the Hokage to overlook. Nonetheless, Sakiko began filling in all her information.

 _Meanwhile…_

Lee was unsure of how to go about the situation. He was gleeful and excited, and anxious all at once at the prospect of new friends _and_ learning. But a foreign feeling had climbed up in his chest and made his thought process stumble, as he watched Kiko-Chan graze her fingers against that of the youthful male on her other side. A tension had sparked between the two and Lee was unsure of what to do. His only friend….Sakiko was _his._ He didn't wish to share her with anyone else, as if knowing they too would be enraptured by her presence. _Scared. Jealous._

At least, he felt that way until he glanced over at the girl in question, and caught sight of an extremely detailed sketch. Her pencil moved quickly and her face was void of any emotion but cheer and fondness replaced the chaos brewing inside of him at the sight. It was of himself and her, with _kawaii_ flower-crowns.

"Kiko-Chan!" Lee exclaimed loudly, bursting up in his chair, and wrapping himself around her in a back-breaking hug, manly tears of love flowing from his cheeks.

She was more than used to his treatment of her, but her cheeks burned scarlet, contrasting greatly with her neon curls, as all eyes turned to the two.

"DETENTION! You two in the back" Mizuki-Sensei snarled, clearly looking to enforce his authority for the first time in front of the class "talking on the first day instead of working will get you nowhere on the road to being a ninja."

 _That was kind of harsh._ The color began to fade from her cheeks as Lee slumped next to her, a gloomy aura overtaking him. His new teacher thought he wouldn't be a good ninja. Sakiko rolled her eyes, slapping a supportive hand upon his spandex encased shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Since we're staying after, that just means we have more time to train, neh?"

 _Like a thousand beautiful roses blooming on a spring day, a cold glass of water in the refreshing Suna deserts._ He froze in his sadness, genuinely smiling back, and grabbing a hold of his _sweetheart's_ hand.

"Ah, Sakiko, so youthful, so supportive, such a sweet and loving girlfriend!"

 _This is all that Maito Gai's fault. I'm going to put his head in a scroll and carry it around with me for good luck._ Sakiko squeaked, her eyes watering from all the attention being drawn to her. It was one thing to hug her. It was another thing to declare her his 'girlfriend.' It was bad enough when he referred to her as his _koibito_. She grimaced, trying to settle with her new reputation. _Thanks, best-friend._

Neji watched perturbed as the whole class turned, hearing the booming voice of the idiot. He was perplexed. The girl who had piqued Neji's interest had seemed so cold and bored when it came to everything, and then she'd so blatantly displayed her care for the boy beside her. She _had_ mentioned training after class though...so maybe she wasn't destined to be a failure like he'd suspected originally.

"DETENTION FOR THE NEXT WEEK!" Mizuki-Sensei hollered as giggles erupted everywhere. Apparently, the word girlfriend held a lot of power over eight and nine year old's.

Even Neji snickered, enjoying her caught-off guard expression.

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around, Sakiko had sent Lee to acquire a spot for them to eat while she fetched the packed meals her Kaa-San made for them. He was all too happy to adhere to her request, darting off, reminding her of his speed.

In a room just off of the weapons storage, was a cubby that held all confiscated personal items sealed away and genin lunches for each class. If you brought one that is. Almost all of the wrapped food had clan markings on them, except a few, and her own. Everyone else probably didn't have parents to pack one for them, like Lee.

She'd known that her friend would be a target of bullying, but she never could have suspected that he would declare Sakiko his girlfriend, thus making her one as well. She's bent over, picking up the two lunches, when other kids shuffle in to get their own. A hand gripped her ponytail before she had time to notice the looming figure, and she was yanked backwards.

The other children fled the room, blatantly ignoring the scene, as her pink head collided with the sealed storage box of confiscated items. She hissed, her hand drifting up. _Ow, ow, ow_. _Wet. A bump._ Her cheeks burned and her accusatory eyes shot up in instinct, wanting to know the face of her attacker before she ripped it off of them.

 _Oh._

Tenten?

She looked...different. She didn't look like the Tenten the series had known. Her face was dirty, her hair was chopped to chin length, and she was dressed in boy clothes. A pair of khaki-like bottoms and a ripped white shirt. Clearly she didn't have very much funds.

"Your hair is stupid" The brunette stated plainly, a victorious smirk on her features, as if she'd just ruined her life or something.

 _What in fresh fuck?_ Sakiko blinked. One, twice, three times. Then her eyes shot over to the packed lunches that fell out of her hand in the assault. Hers was fine, but Lee's had spilled onto the floor half-way. A darkness pooled inside of her and a low killing intent seeped out of her skin. Tenten didn't seem to notice, but she had a feeling the girl was covering her apprehension at the sudden fierceness to the little-pinkette.

"You've made a mistake" she simply spoke, her chakra pooling in her veins, bubbling energetically at the prospect of danger.

Tenten cocked her head "mmm I don't think _so_."

 _Oh now it's on._

Sakiko prickled at the prospect of using her jutsu or her few years of taijutsu training with Lee, but she swallowed down the urge, and proceeded forward with one of her other favorite things. Bruce Force...And _anger_. Her nostrils flared and in a splay of pink hair, the lithe eight year launched herself almost like a feline, nails first, tackling the admittedly muscled build of her opponent.

She wasn't sure why or how the series had done this to Tenten's character, had made her into this... _bully,_ she didn't understand what change she could have made to cause her to come attack her in the cubby-room while getting out her lunch on the first day of school.

That didn't stop her fist from slamming into Tenten's face multiple times, hearing a satisfying squish, kicking her once in the ribs, and then spitting on her face for good measure.

"What's your _problem_?" Sakiko hissed in the doorway, her form staggered, her body shaking with ragged pants of sheer fury.

"You think you're so perfect?" Tenten sneered from the floor, her eyes dripping with tears and a kind of...viciousness she hadn't thought the girl was capable of. "Well you're not! Your hair is impractical and ugly" _wow_ big word for such a fucking imbecile, Sakiko raised a brow "and I've seen you training with Lee. It's sad how bad you are at being a ninja."

A harsh, hyena like cackle, that travelled to the Hyuuga eating alone in the hall not too far away, came from the pinkettes chest. Neji's brow furrowed, and he activated his Byakugan, immediately zeroing in on the chakra signatures in the cubby-room not too far away. It was the strange little girl and one of the civvies.

"Says the girl with the spit on her face" Sakiko growled, reaching down and literally _rubbing_ the saliva in on Tenten's face. Her arms were wrapped protectively around her clearly bruised ribs, her body curled up, teeth mashing together in an attempt to bite her.

 _Shock. Confusion. Slight approval._ Why had she done that? Neji found himself wondering, his eyes wide in shock, Byakugan deactivating to keep his spying from being revealed to the quickly approaching ball of fury and hair.

 _Then_ he saw the red that very clearly stood out against her pink curls. _Blood._ Tenten had hit her in the back of the head, he deduced. It could have been with a kunai or senbon, but Neji doubted it since, as he recalled earlier, Sakiko herself was the only female smart enough to bring her own weapons.

"Say nothing" Sakiko growled, not even glancing at him, rushing out towards the field where her stupid friend was no doubt waiting diligently. Like a puppy.

And he didn't. Until her brown haired opponent came sluggishly walking towards the field. He was a little surprised she hadn't gone to the Academy's medic, but that would raise questions, and Neji had a feeling she wouldn't want it outed that the small, bright, pink haired brat had bested her.

"You have little future in becoming a kunoichi, it is clear to me" Neji blatantly said to her before she exited, feeling neither pain nor joy when she glanced back with eyes full of tears.

He believed everyone's fate was decided from the moment they were born, the bruised if not cracked ribs in her chest, the slight blood coming from her nose, and the spit spread from her cheek to her hair, was all he needed to see. Calmly, he tilted his head.

"You have no strength."

 _That day, Tenten ran to the orphanage, no longer appearing for the rest of the day's classes, and never returning. The Hyuuga boy's words haunted her ever since._

Just like that, ripples in the universe.

In one world, two orphans found solace in each other, forming a friendship to save themselves from the staggering bullies in their home. Lee and Tenten had been fated to support each other throughout their childhood, only, Sakiko had enraptured him that day in the training field. With her unwavering support and kindness, he'd never needed Tenten. She grew up friendless and alone. Until it became clear to her that enforcing her dominance with physical aggression was the only way to protect herself. Leading her up to this very moment, where she was met with her pink haired enemy. She'd seen her so many times at the orphanage, beloved by the caretaker, Lee, and the bullies alike. Tenten blamed her, and if a way, she wasn't wrong. If not for her, she'd of had a very different upbringing.

Sakiko had a family. Sakiko had Lee. Tenten had nobody but herself, and with that alone, Neji was right. She didn't have the strength to become a kunoichi.

In one universe, Tenten had been placed on a genin team with Hyuuga Neji, and under the strange leadership of Konoha's Green Beast, they would bond over their similar views and time spent together. A love would have blossomed between them.

Fate ripped that page out of her book, throwing down a new one and beginning to rewrite with a peaceful smile on her face.

Not. Any. More.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Shi No Hana 死の花

Summary: Death is just getting out of one car and getting into another. My name is Haruno Sakiko, and I shouldn't exist. Rock Lee/OC, AU, Self-Insert.

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto, not me.

Chapter Four

" _Sakikooo_ " Lee whined, dismissing honorifics, and wincing when she hissed, pulling a few of her pink curls gently out "We should tell Mizuki-Sensei! And you need to see the school medic!"

After efficiently taking out her rage on Tenten, a very hurt Sakiko had rushed outside, furious, heading to where she spotted her favorite Green Beast to give him _her_ lunch since the contents of his had spilled out onto the floor when she'd been attacked. She was mad that she had to explain herself. She was mad that her head _really_ hurt. It made her feel like she wouldn't be able to take a real hit as a ninja. She was _mad_ that a canon character had been so affected by her _mere_ existence that she became a civilian-like school yard bully. She was mad that she was surrounded by children who thought they were above _her,_ a grown fucking woman.

Basically, Sakiko was pretty frustrated with life.

The two were sat under (ironically) a cherry blossom tree, Lee claiming he picked it because it reminded him of her 'infinite beauty.' Sakiko had unwrapped the ninja wire and band holding up her thick pink locks, allowing them to splay across her back, but a large portion in the middle of the back of her head was mussed and curled around a bloodied indent from where that damn sealed chest stabbed at her. Lee watched with an open mouth, his fists curled at his side, mouth pursed tightly.

"You're sweet" she sighed, like always did, her entire chest expanding and then falling with the exhausted sound "please just help me cover this up until my Kaa-San can heal it."

Lee was right, he knew it, she knew it, but despite his want to argue her on the behalf of her well being, he also wanted to be _the_ perfect friend. At eight years old, he had a small fear of losing her to all the other kids their age, or just plain her being stronger than him and leaving him behind as a hindrance. Lee knew that he could beat her in a spar, after all, he was the one who taught her taijutsu in the first place, but Sakiko was _smart._ Like, Nara smart. He noticed in the small things, and over time, even observed that if he brought up her intelligence, she would frown. As if to say: You caught that? You weren't supposed to. As if she didn't want people knowing her true IQ.

He had no doubt that with little to no disadvantages as an all around _average_ Kunoichi, Sakiko could and _would_ grow under Konoha's tutelage to become a very powerful Shinobi of The Leaf. She could really specialize in anything she wanted, he believed, which was more than Lee could say for himself.

And so the pair set to work, Lee being her eyes and hands from the back, his face pulled into a very worried expression as he helped Sakiko arrange her wild curls in a way that would _mostly_ shield the wound from onlookers gazes. If the other student's saw it, they may peg her as the weakest link, antagonizing her in the future. If the teachers saw it, they would ask questions, and they were already going to ask questions when Tenten didn't show up after lunch. Sakiko felt only a small sliver of guilt watching the orphan girl with the busted face sprinting off of the Academy property, never to return. But then the wind licked her bloodied head, and the guilt was gone, replaced with further annoyance and pain.

"Open wide" Sakiko commanded gently, using a pair of chopsticks she was (luckily) familiar with to pass a piece of Onigiri over her shoulder, smiling when a mouth clamped down on the end and slowly pulled it off.

And that was how the two spent their first lunch at the Academy. Lee couldn't fight the warmth inside of him as the pinkette casually fed him and he arranged her curls over the gash. _Love._ Childish love, in its purest. Two beings interested solely in caring for one another, no ulterior motives. An honest bond that would only grow and evolve over time as they matured and trained, he hoped, he suspected. A future with Sakiko was one he'd been able to manage since the day he met her, as friend, or more. Anything _she_ wanted.

In a way, it was hilarious how oblivious she was to his feelings. Puppy love, Sakiko dismissed.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Somewhere in hell, the devil himself, Death sat near the pits of tartarus with a clone. His clone however had blue hair, opposed to his own ginger curls, and had skin the color of literal paper. Death wanted him to look at least a _little_ like someone else. He'd needed someone to chit chat over Sakiko's life with when things got especially interesting.

Death's blue haired counterpart was tossing potato chips lazily into tartarus and laughing as it burnt into the screaming faces of tortured souls.

"How can you ignore such a _kawaii_ scene of LotusBlossom?" Ginger-Death questioned in wonder, gazing lovingly at the flatscreen across the ways broadcasting the intimate scene, well placed under a beautiful cherry blossom tree in a way that made him suspect Fate's involvement "aren't you supposed to be _me_?"

The cerulean curls draped over the clone's blackholes for eyes, Death #02 languidly rolled his eyes and spread out on the fancy bone-tile flooring "personally, I'm hoping Sakiko-Chan is of the lesbian variety, neh?"

"HUH!?" The ginger one was shocked, a devious smile on his face at the idea, quickly growing comfortable with such a thought. "My, my, my" he slapped one hand on his pale clone's shoulder "Maybe you are me _after all._ That's an **enjoyable** image" of course he didn't see Sakiko has the pink haired Kunoichi in training, he saw her as the blonde that he'd snatched up, the spirit screaming particularly loudly. .

If only that Neji kid was a girl, he _did_ have luxurious long locks.

* * *

Detention dragged through at the end of the day, far worse than it would have been had she not received a head injury, and as heat waves carried through open windows, Sakiko sweated dreadfully on one desk, bent over and taking ragged breath, her hands clammy as they gripped a broom for dear life. Cleaning all the classroom's in the _damn building_ was genuine torture with the _thunk, thunk, thunk,_ radiating waves of pain in her head. She really wanted a nap which made her fear a concussion. Not only that, but Lee was on the verge of collapsing from worry alone.

By the eighth time he begged her to go see a medic, Sakiko had _had_ enough.

 _If I'm so fucking grown_ she thought to herself, throwing down her padded butt onto Mizuki's desk _I should be able to take care of this. If I were in the field, this would definitely be worse. It's better I learn to deal with it on my own now rather than doing the child-like and lazy thing of waiting for my mommy to fix it._

 _You wanna talk the talk of a big bad Kunoichi, you better walk the walk._ Of course, Sakiko was no-where near good enough to do that. But maybe she could crawl the crawl, or some other lesser version of the saying.

"Lee, I need you to get me some of the rags from the training room, um...and a bucket of water" She commanded, her own slightly rough tone of voice becoming soothing as she pushed away her worries. Reaching her arm backwards behind her head and medically healing it herself had been a very lackluster idea in the beginning, but Sakiko couldn't fucking take it anymore, not with the added pain of detention and Lee's panic-attack nearing anxiety of her health. It was time to come up with a solution.

He didn't question her once, saluting, and disappearing in a whirlwind of green speed, leaving her infinitely appreciative of him. Good ole' Lee. He knew when and when not-to question her, a skill not very many humans that walked the earth possessed when it came to Sakiko.

The day was winding down and she truly hoped her parents weren't worrying about her, having forgotten to ask Mizuki to inform them of her lateness on account of the fact that the little-dicked chunin was working for Orochimaru and she did her best to steer clear of him at all times. To be fair, she had no way of knowing she'd be gifted with nearly _three hours_ of hard work for detention...it was the first day! This was like...a really high paying D-rank, she thought to herself while she waited, wallowing in her anger meaninglessly.

When Lee arrived back in less than five minutes, Sakiko smiled as brightly as she could under duress, and then set to cleaning her wound, hissing with every movement, her face scrunched up in pure anger at her sad pain tolerance. In her old body it had been _phenomenally_ better. She would just have to get this new _baby_ one broken in once she became a ninja. A few good beatings and hopefully the pain would lessen like it once had.

"SURPRISE ATTACK!"

Almost in slow motion, limbs entirely green, wrapped in orange leg warmers, and ninja sandals came twirling torpedo-style straight in through the window as if they'd just normally come flying in. As if they weren't on the fourth floor. Sakiko supposed for a Jonin that was nothing though. She'd seen ninja do _way_ crazier shit before. Even if Maito Gai was in his own league.

Lee deflected the kicks with his forearms, jumping in front of his wounded princess, Sakiko. (If she could hear his thoughts, she would be most certainly perturbed with some of the adjectives he used to describe her.)

Gai landed on the floor looking like one of those Vines where they pretend like they meant to fall smoothly, landing directly on his elbow, propped up holding his head, his body openly displayed with one manly green thumb up. Sakiko frowned, pressing deeper on her wound, and then choosing to close her eyes and focus while the two manly men discussed whatever 'youthful crap' they usually did.

Medical chakra was basically separating the spiritual and physical chakra to promote cell regrowth and essentially, _heal._ She knew this and with her large reserves and refined control, Sakiko very easily could become a medic. It was one of her many options she'd yet to choose from. However, not really wanting to dislocate her arm in an attempt to reach the gash and heal herself, she began brainstorming.

"Of course!" The pinkette shouted after a few minutes, drawing the eyes of the ever animated Green Beast's of Konoha.

Then, of all the strange things Lee had seen his friend do, her pretty pink hair began glowing with minty green chakra. Gai made an 'ah' noise of understanding, bending over and whispering in the ear of his alarmed mini-me.

"Sakiko-Chan is channeling her spiritual chakra into her hair and manipulating her physical chakra away from the wound in order to directly heal it without applying the chakra with her own hand due to the location of her injury" he explained in a hushed whisper, remembering that _one_ time he had a temporary medic on his team do a similar thing. Her butt had been zapped by a lightning nin.

His soon-to-be student's were remarkably inspiring!

Or at least, he hoped they would be. He had a good idea of who he wanted to be his Genin team, and planned on officially requesting the Hokage choose him to be the sensei of Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee himself, and the prodigal Haruno Sakiko. His vivacious spirit and raw strength could certainly turn them into some of the finest Shinobi Konoha had seen. A new trio, even! He imagined, delirious images of civilians whispering in awe as he and his all-grown up team returned from a particularly hardy mission. Not that they couldn't handle it. The Heir to the Hyuuga, the Genius Pinkette, and the Youthful Lee!

Yeah, Gai let himself get carried away often. It _was_ only their first day at the academy.

"This reminds me!" He burst up, patting Lee on his shiny head, and grinning when Sakiko's luminescent green eyes popped open, suddenly seeming sleepy now that the blood once seeping out of her scalp had receded and healed over "I have a gift to help your training, Kiko-Chan" he pulled out a storage scroll similar to the ones Kizashi used for his merchandise "since you did not wish to wear our attire, it isn't fair to give cute little Lee leg warmers and weights, and you nothing. Why, it would be positively ghastly of me!"

Gai rushed forward pinching the girl's cheeks fearlessly while low killing intent seeped off her skin. She had a real _thing_ about adults touching her in this world. She'd had one too many close calls with pure evil in her past life to trust _everyone,_ and this was the land of Shinobi. The place were kids killed. She truly expected pedophiles to lurk around every corner, now that she was a kid all over again

"Viola!" he hollered, his lungs vibrating, his chakra pressing into the storage seal which released a pair of nunchucks.

Sakiko's head tilted, as it often did when she saw something she considered interesting. Lee smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as soon as she sucked all of her killing intent back in, undeterred. A common occurrence between the two, Gai knew.

They were _like_ nunchucks, except instead of a couple of inches of chain between the two handles, the chain extended a good amount, drooping and hanging in many layers. It really truly was a 'Naruto' type of weapon and when Sakiko's hands wrapped around the handles of their own accord, she blushed. They were like..really pretty. From the obsidian links holding together the chain to the black and _that_ shade of green ( the one that vaguely reminded her of Lee and Gai's outfits ) on the handle.

Gai's pinching fingers rose to ruffle the curls splayed messily over her forehead and ruffling them fondly, that smile he reserved for Kakashi usually beaming across his features. The little Haruno girl was like a more-human, pink haired, version of him back when he was a genin. It was one of the reasons he truly wanted her on his team.

"Yeah, hiya!" Gai cheered at her expression "A fan of mine crafted it for me from The Land of Waves and after a few training sessions, It was an easy decision that they were not for me! My combat works much better with these" Sakiko frowned at the _way_ short and less extravagant ones that he pulled off his waist-band "and I thought, who better to give it to then one of my youthful students! Inspire the youth of others as you ensnare them in your chain until your opponent can no longer defy the Leaf!"

 _He has fans…? Worrysome. They need to be mentally evaluated._

With renewed energy Sakiko jumped off the desk, landing a few feet away from her two companions, tossing the baton like handles up in the air and then catching them, enjoying the _slinky_ noise of the chain.

"Oh yeah, Gai-Sensei" he began crying at her first use of the term 'Sensei' with him "these are sick! Hella youthful!" Sakiko winced at her own vocabulary, but didn't correct herself, those were the words she meant to say "Lee!"

She sprang forward in a defensive stance, a wolf-like grin on her impish features.

"You're okay to spar with me when I use these right?"

Lee cheered, clasping her hands.

"I would love it if you were to allow me to assist in your new technique, Sakiko-Chan!"

For once, she truly felt _a part_ of the Universe. And that was when she realized it was because of Gai. She stared up at him with all-seeing green eyes, and then gave him that ray of sunshine, sparkles emanating from her person, the light of a thousand sun's smile that appeared every so often.

* * *

 **AN** : Thank you to **kfawcett1998** who's review genuinely made me laugh "well shit bye tenten" killed me as soon as I saw it, I for real died laughing like...you right. Thank you to **Calcu22** , I like Tenten, and see her potential but it just made more sense for her to be gone in Sakiko's arch unfortunately. Thank you to **ThePlagueDoctor.** Thank you to **EmmieSauce and Fwee.**

 **Thank you to all the followers who respect my choices as an author.**

Yo people were like...fucking shook that I chose such a terrible path for Tenten. I can see why, as Sakiko was truly vicious in her response, but to be fair, Tenten like...threw her head into the corner of a box! I don't know about you guys but I _know_ that if that happened to me, I'd be pissed **.** Honestly I don't regret doing that in MY story. I needed Tenten out of the way to put Sakiko on Team Gai, BUT ALSO, I did it because 1) it makes sense that if she and Lee were meant to be friends in the orphanage to solidify her strength of character, that she would blame our girl for her influence 2) it gave me the opportunity to improve on Sakiko's medicinal arsenal, and 3) I HAVE PLANS FOR NEJIIIIII THAT DO NOT INVOLVE HERRRR.

Basically, getting rid of Tenten accomplished multiple of my goals in this fic, and I regret nothing. I'm explaining myself because I received a _**SCATHING**_ review from someone that I deleted at first sight that literally told me I was a "piece of shit" for doing that that it was "entirely out of character" and they "thought it was an honest and good story but I clearly am just writing another SI piece of garbage" they also included that "Tenten would never do that" and "what a disappointment that I would do such a thing to Tenten just to give SAKIKO HER BOY-TOYS."

So to set a few things straight. I have reasoning behind all my decisions and I request you either accept them or move on to a different author's fic.

Lastly, I could see how some may have been given the wrong idea, but Sakiko and Neji are not a _pairing._ There will never be a love triangle between her and Lee and Neji. That would be like an ugly Naruto version of Twilight. Like... _ugh,_ no. I try not to do love triangles at ALL. As I said, I have plans for Neji, which include him falling for an OC that will eventually be the differentiating factor that saves his life in that one war (fourth? third you know which one I mean.) I plan on having him and Sakiko begin a rivalry that quickly develops into a kinship separate of the one she shares with Lee. They like sparring and she listens to him bitch about the Clan, K? K.

Sorry for all that, but I was pretty triggered.


End file.
